Fanfiction 101
by Children of Light
Summary: A guide to help all you other fanfiction writers out there! Authors involved: Children of Light, sougihime, HachimitsuOukan, Fragments of Dreams, Hibisha, ShadowCyclone, SHSL Kirino Ranmaru and Sakuchii.


**Hi everyone! This is a project I've started with a few other amazing authors. This story is basically to help all you other fanfiction authors out there! So, let's start! The format is simple. There will be a topic which is ****underlined****. The authors will then write their tips for the said topic and sign off with their name. So, I hope you enjoy this and find this helpful!**

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1. Plot Ideas

Originality isn't everything! Don't be afraid to use plots other authors have used. Since everyone is different, your story probably will be different from the original. Of course, if you copy everything from the original plot, others might find your story boring, so just use the original plots as basic starters. And if your story plot is inspired by something else, like another story or anime, remember to give credit! – Children of Light

I'd say not to jump into the story right away when you suddenly get a plot bunny. That may lead you into a crashing end (also known as _writers block_) in the middle of writing. Think properly what characters you're going to use (and possible OCs) and how the story and plot are going to develop. What you want from the story? What is the whole _motive_? Don't be afraid to take your time with the planning. Well planned stories are better than those rushed and confusing ones. Readers are willing to wait for your update. It's definitely worth of it. – Sakuchii

Outline/list down your plot ideas, it's nice to be organize the beginning, middle, conflict, events and ending of your story. Even notes about it. Then you can always put it to details once you are writing the whole thing. – SHSL Kirino Ranmaru

Don't ever second guess your own story plots. Sure enough, there are some good critics out there who genuinely want to help you out but that doesn't mean you change the story just because let's say, one person said they don't like the main character. Instead, stick to the original plot. The key to this is writing several chapters ahead of time and posting one at a time. That way, you can't exactly change your idea smack in the middle of the story. For every pro there is a con just like for every up there is a down. For every one person who likes your story, there will be a person who loathes it. So instead of trying to please the ones who hates your ideas, why not try to make the ones who love your story happier by updating the story the way you want it be-not what someone else wants it to be. It's your story, not theirs-that's why never doubt yourself-they wouldn't be reading the thing if it hadn't intrigued them at the slightest, now would they?

A story may hit you like a bolt of lightning anywhere-just make sure to keep it all together. I find it much easier if I just scribble a small summary of it on a notebook I've made especially for this purpose; that way, I can never forget the story line. And personally, I find that the more original a story is, the more it is to be appreciated. Creativity is an art. Anything could be inspirational if you look hard enough. I find it relaxing to sit and relax on a bench and observe the world around me. Mind you, don't stare, that's kinda rude. I should know-I got one heck of a scolding for being lost in my thoughts-apparently, I was giving this old lady the chills without knowing what I was doing. And guess what? I made a short story out of that incident too! The more relatable your stories are to real life, the more amazing your story will become. Fiction is amazing but it takes a lot of time unless you simply write a very sappy and boring love story-trust me, you will regret that. So before going to bed, try to recall your day-something must have happened that made you smile or laugh. If it still makes you laugh by the end of the day, it's worth sharing with everyone. – Hibisha

Plot ideas can come from basically anything. Some are inspired by the little things that happen in your daily life, others might be from the work of other people. Either way, a plot is still a plot. If you're really stuck, don't be afraid to ask fellow writers. For all you know, they could spark an idea in you! – ShadowCyclone Karito

As for plot, I believe that ideas may be the same, but stories must never be. When I see someone attempting to write something based on an anime or manga or an existing fanfic, I expect them to do something unique, not the same thing with the different characters squashed in to make it look like an "adaptation". But I also respect uniqueness in the concepts as well. If you rely too heavily on other material for ideas, the story might get messy. There's also a chance that you might lose the inspiration for the fic altogether after a while.

Planning: Also very important. Always have a few key points of the fic planned; it helps you write consistently and keep a steady rate of updates. Have a clear idea of the rules and laws of the world you've created in a fantasy setting and make sure to keep them consistent through the series. If you want sudden plot twists, integrate a very small clue (almost unnoticeable) of it at some early point, or the readers might think it's a last-minute addition and/or turn the plot very sloppy. Crack and Parody fics are exempt from this rule, but bonus points for you as a writer if you do follow it.

Last and most important of all, have fun writing! You can't expect a good fic if you're writing it half-heartedly. Write what you enjoy writing, and you're not a bad writer if you only write a certain genre. - Fragments of Dreams aka Dreamer

Firstly, I'd like to thank Children of Light to invite me to join in this amazing project. I'm no pro by all means, so just take this as a friendly advice. I second her in "Originality isn't everything". In this day and age, it would be very hard to be 100% original in pretty much anything. Write about something, and I'm sure you'd find something like it somewhere, much older than yours. Plot ideas aren't something that you could force out, though. They just... appear, for most people.

If not, then just look around! See the world, go out for a stroll. Everything could be a plot source. Take a look at the things around you. A water tap, for example. You could write a paragraph about a water tap, how the characters use them, and why. If you succeeded, I'm pretty sure you'd be able to write the rest of them.

Recycle old, overused plots. Look at me, for example. Have I ever written anything 100% original? I haven't, truth to be told. As long as you write it properly with twists, even the most overused plot could become interesting. –sougihime

If you're looking for plot ideas, I'd suggest three things: first, browse… a lot. Go search for random stuff or look deeply about things you enjoy, either way or both is fine. Sometimes, ideas plop may come out in the most random and unexpected situation. Second, prompt. There are some websites offering prompt ideas, one that I tried was shindanmaker. Or, you can try this: choose a name of a character, then choose two (three or four, not too much though) random words, be it of colour, thing, animal, habit… and try to make a story containing those words. Three, write a line or sentence, then try to continue. – HachimitsuOukan

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2. Summaries

Summaries are used to draw in readers, so don't slack in them! What I hate is people saying 'Story is better than summary'. If you can write a good story, why can't you write a good summary? Also, if your story has stuff like yaoi, yuri, character death, etc., state it in your summary. Not everyone is a yaoi/yuri fan. - Children of Light

Summaries with creativeness and glimpse of suspense are always the best. Unique plots tend to have unique summaries. But that comes out with experience; the more you have written summaries, the more creative you get. Just like with stories. Writing a summary is a must! (Better remember that!) People will more likely check your story if you do have summary. (Even if it's just something simple like; he loves her, she loves him... but they can never be together.) That is way better than putting "I'm not good with summaries". – Sakuchii

Summaries are done to encourage the readers. Do not also place in your summary the whole events of your story. Make it broad or mysterious, so that it'll encourage or capture the readers to read your story. – SHSL Kirino Ranmaru

The summaries should be well thought out. And people shouldn't give away the ending in the summaries-the suspense draws the readers in. Don't make the summary too long otherwise people won't bother reading it and skip the story-so make it eye catching! – Hibisha

Before people want to read your story, they'll read your summary. When writing a summary, you would want to give a good note on what the story is about. First impressions are important. You want to make a good first impression and you want to get it right. – ShadowCyclone Karito

Well, this is a part I stink at- writing summaries... But I tend to make the summary suit the fic. Dark and deep fics have mysterious and daunting summaries, centred around the main theme of the fic, while light-hearted ones tend to have bright or humorous summaries. Just keep it short, give warnings like "it's Yaoi/Yuri/Canon character death/suicide" etc. Don't give away some spoilers though, that will ruin the experience of reading it if there's a mystery going on in it. - Fragments of Dreams aka Dreamer.

For summaries, the thing you need to remember is... show-off. Show off your vocabulary, the thing you offer to the reader. If you write suspense, then don't give off too many things out. If you write romance, then... well, write the sappiest summary you could. The most important thing about summaries is that they are the 'cover' of your story. If you could write them off nicely, I'm sure people would click your story. Writing a summary is all about knowing what it is that people would feel interested/intrigued in. Ask for advice all around; you can't be a good writer if you write completely isolated, alone. –sougihime

Yes, summaries attract readers' attention. Personally, I think a summary is what really attracts me to read it, other than the pairings. From a summary, you can see not only what the story is about, but also about the quality and the seriousness of the fic itself. If the summary itself wasn't of good quality, how can you expect the same for the story inside…? I'm sure many readers will be attracted to read fics which summaries are written in neat, understandable and interesting sentences to promote the story, compared to fics with confusing sentences written in messy grammar and spellings. It seems to me the author doesn't seem to be serious in writing it. I immediately get discouraged to read a fic when I see the summary is not really promising. – HachimitsuOukan

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**So how was it? There will be future chapters touching on other topics. If you readers have any suggestions for topics, just leave it in a review! **

**However, please don't request to join the project as there are already quite a number of writers.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Mitsuko, on behalf of all the other authors**


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